Education World Resource Roundup: Back to School With EdWorld

Get yourself prepared for going back to school with these resources provided from Education World. Keep our website bookmarked for even more back-to-school essentials as the weeks go on. Heck—maybe even make educationworld.com your browser's homepage!

Icebreakers!

Use this Education World list of the best teacher-submitted ways to break the ice the first couple weeks of working with a new class.

Icebreakers on this "best of" list include activities such as creating a "Getting to Know You Chart" with interesting facts about each student for classroom display and using classic books like The Giving Tree to get students both learning and talking with each other.

Read the full list of Icebreakers here. l

The First Year Teacher's Primer

Going back to school is never easy, but it's especially difficult for a teacher doing it for the first time.

With the help of veteran educator Keith Lambert, Education World offers first-year-teachers a collection of sound advice on how to handle the first year of going back to school. The primer gives advice on how to appreciate support staff, schedule time for yourself, and accept the imperfections of the profession.

Read the full primer here. 

Deals and Steals

Supplies aren't cheap, so for up-to-date information about the best deals for back-to-school shopping, check out Education World's compilation here. The list includes deals for organizing purposes,some great ways to save on EdTech, and much more. 

And in order to plan to save on supplies, though, you first need to create a list of what you need. Dr. Howard Seeman, a noted educator, shared a list of 27 must-have items that teachers shouldn't head to the classroom without. 

School-Wide Ways to Say Welcome Back

In order to make students, especially ones just entering the school, feel welcome, Use this list of school-wide activities to do just that.

Examples of recommended activities include taken from the innovation of other schools includes things like "a meet-the-teacher ice cream social," which is "a chance for students, parents, and teachers to meet face-to-face ."

Other examples include the best ways to make and send letter or e-mail announcements and how to make opening day a positive, special day.

Read the full list of welcome back suggestions here. 

Getting to Know Parents

To set a positive tone for the year and begin with an open line of communication, use these ideas on how to get to know parents early on.

Simply by reaching out to parents via e-mail in the weeks leading up to the school year is a move that teachers won't regret and that parents really appreciate, said several educators to Education World.

This article details the purpose of such an e-mail or letter and tips on how to make it as friendly and welcoming as possible. 

Read the full article here. 

Back-to-School Tech Tips

In order to continue integrating technology into your classroom, use this resource to get a feel for how advanced your students already are with tech.

Says the article, "[w]hether you're a technology teacher or a classroom teacher interested in integrating technology, you can challenge and motivate your own students as they succeed with these back-to-school activities from the Education World Tech Team. Included: Twenty-one activities to introduce your students to technology success!"

Read the full list of first day tech activities here. 

We're partial to much of the great content we've created over the past 19 years. Along with our dedicated writers, savvy educators across the nation also provided a ton of tips and ready-to-use worksheets and lessons. Thank you all! Feel free to share more great back-to-school tips and links in the comments below.

Compiled by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

08/03/2015